The Looking Forward Podcast

Trump has tested positive for COVID-19 less than one month before the US election. What will this mean for the politics surrounding the upcoming election and could this revelation play for or against Trump’s faltering campaign? (1:59-21:45)

Trump has also received a kind of ‘cocktail’ of medication in response to contracting the virus, not all of which is available to the common American citizen. In the spirit of Right to Try, should this accelerate clinician’s access to beneficial drugs rather than just waiting for a vaccine? And are lockups and the wait for a vaccine just making people’s health worse? (21:45-35:59)

We discuss last night’s budget and our sudden emergence as a big-State social democratic country with a small state low(er) tax revenue base. Will this Keynesian but pro-business budget lift us out of recession, or is it time to look at productivity? (36:00-50:31)

Culture picks this week include Musical label, Cryo Chamber; Aeschylus’ play, The Eumenides; and a two-part TV series by Billy Ray, The Comey Rule. (51:29-1:04:21)

Show notes:

“Effect of calcifediol (Vitamin D treatment; M Castillo, et al

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960076020302764?fbclid=IwAR0Cl-D-Qx9g7YqbesGxjzQYGJ7-o5s7VY144QDyqLpHRZ4ffPTKXIlpoko

Is it wrong if I ask for the same?; Tyler Cowen

https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2020/10/is-it-wrong-if-i-ask-for-the-same.html

Donald Trump takes zinc. Maybe you should too; Allysia Finley

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/the-wall-street-journal/donald-trump-takes-zinc-maybe-you-should-too/news-story/79c7e91c0476d0f44e3dd62cbdea3f02

Why Human Challenge Trials Will Be Necessary to Get a Coronavirus Vaccine; Alex Tabarrok

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/coronavirus/why-human-challenge-trials-will-be-necessary-get-coronavirus-vaccine-152786

All the president's medicine: How doctors are treating Donald Trump; Sascha Pezenik, Sony Salzman and Dr. Divya Chhabra

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/presidents-medicine-doctors-treating-donald-trump/story?id=73423761

Debt To Hit $2.05 Trillion, 60 Years To Pay Off; IPA

Culture Picks:

Musical label, Cryo Chamber

https://www.cryochamberlabel.com/

Play, The Eumenides, written by Aeschylus

https://www.ancient.eu/The_Eumenides/

‘Ah, how miserable! Three New Oresteias’; Emily Wilson, LRB

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v42/n19/emily-wilson/ah-how-miserable

TV series by Billy Ray, The Comey Rule

https://www.stan.com.au/watch/the-comey-rule?gclsrc=aw.ds&ds_rl=1263226&gclid=CjwKCAjwq_D7BRADEiwAVMDdHt6ubXjhrdoUrrt45l3kabCA6giFROEhPY2VgHiqr7CE97modqG0QRoCXqoQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Victoria has been electrified by the prospect that politicians and public servants from the Premier down could be charged and even jailed for deaths attributable to the Hotel Quarantine fiasco, under tendentious new industrial manslaughter laws only recently enacted by the Andrews Government. Governments must be held to account, but is this the job of the courts, or Parliaments and voters? If we start jailing politicians for incompetence, where will it end? (33:25-44:59).

Scott Hargreaves and Chris Berg are joined by Research Fellow Morgan Begg to discuss this and also the litany of civil rights violations justified in the name of pandemic. Where have been the institutions meant to defend our freedoms, and what precedent does this rampant State create for our future? (1:50-17:59).

The latest concern in Victoria is an “Omnibus Bill”, allowing government appointed ‘authorised officers’ to arrest and detain individuals just on the suspicion of intent to break rules. Is this necessary or just a left-wing Government’s adaption the Police State/‘law and order’ playbook formerly used by the right? (18:00-33:25).

Culture picks this week include the new Netflix film, Enola Holmes by Harry Bradbeer; Karl Ove Knausgaard’s book on Edvard Munch, So Much Longing in So Little Space; and a Netflix documentary by Jeff Orlowski, The Social Dilemma (44:59-1:04:55).

Shownotes:

Letter to WorkSafe Referring Ministers for Investigation; Ken Phillips

https://icau.worldsecuresystems.com/Downloads/Corona-Virus/Victoria/SEA-letter-to-WorkSafe-29Sept20.pdf

Four Victorian ministers, 16 public servants may face prosecution over alleged OHS law breaches; Robert Gottliebsen

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/four-victorian-ministers-16-public-servants-may-face-prosecution-over-alleged-ohs-law-breaches/news-story/20ace50f6e620fe3be9953e6b8dd2290

Picnicking rule-breakers face $5000 fines with police to blanket parks; Simone Fox Koob

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/picnicking-rule-breakers-face-5000-fines-with-police-to-blanket-parks-20200928-p55zxj.html

Regulate? Innovate!; Chris Berg on social media regulation

Covid Totalitarianism; Morgan Begg

https://ipa.org.au/publications-ipa/covid-totalitarianism

Culture Picks:

Enola Holmes

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7846844/

So Much Longing in So Little Space

https://www.penguin.com.au/books/so-much-longing-in-so-little-space-9781787300545

The Social Dilemma

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11464826/

This week saw the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and immediate controversy about who will replace her on the United States’ Supreme Court, as the Democrats invent reasons to stall the process. The panellists reflect on the career of a remarkable advocate and jurist, and examine how the Republican push in the Senate to confirm a Trump nomination as replacement will affect the election. If even Mitt Romney wants to do it, what’s stopping them? (2:12-35:50).

Likewise, Australia’s High Court also has some looming vacancies, due to the 72-year age of ‘statutory senility’ enforced on Justices of the High Court, with Justice Nettle soon to step down. Why aren’t Australians more interested in the choice of replacement shortly to be made by the Morrison Government, and – in light of controversial decisions such as Love/Thoms - do we need more scrutiny of the process for nomination? (35:50-56:32).

Culture picks this week include BGG cold war board game, Twilight Struggle; Elena Ferrante’s novel, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay; and Taylor Sheridan and John Linson’s TV series, Yellowstone season 3 (56:41-1:08:02).

Show notes

Courting Calamity; Morgan Begg (IPA Review, Winter 2020)

https://ipa.org.au/ipa-review-articles/courting-calamity

Porter kicks off search for next High Court judge; Robert Pelly, AFR

https://www.afr.com/companies/professional-services/porter-kicks-off-search-for-next-high-court-judge-20200714-p55bvj

Save the Vote, Save the Court; Adam J White, The Bulwark

https://thebulwark.com/save-the-vote-save-the-court/

Looking Forward Ep 74 Review of RBG biopic, On the Basis of Sex; Scott Hargreaves

https://youtu.be/yBBO_wat60Q?t=3480

Culture picks

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay

https://www.booktopia.com.au/those-who-leave-and-those-who-stay-elena-ferrante/book/9781925240023.html

Twilight Struggle

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12333/twilight-struggle

Yellowstone; Season 3

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4236770/

There are hard borders with no sign of let up across Australia, as State Premiers spuriously justify all decisions as being on the basis of medical advice while enjoying the populist support for supposedly keeping out the virus. But they can only do so because in our crazy fiscally frazzled federation the Feds pick up the bill for the economic costs. And why can actors and footballers cross borders when ordinary people can't?

Show Notes:

A big decision is due today in the Clive Palmer vs WA border row — here's why it matters

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-25/how-clive-palmers-wa-border-challenge-affected-by-court-decision/12589552

This is why it is so difficult for Australians to get home

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-17/why-is-it-so-hard-for-australians-to-get-home/12669902

Culture Picks

The New Social Contract; Tim Wilson

https://www.connorcourtpublishing.com.au/THE-NEW-SOCIAL-CONTRACT-Renewing-the-liberal-vision-for-Australia--Tim-Wilson_p_377.html

Away; Andrew Hinderaker

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Away_(TV_series)

I’m Thinking of Ending Things; Charlie Kaufman

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7939766/

The Deputy CMO says to Victorians "make your bed", but they're fraying at the edges as their Premier loses credibility for refusing to admit he is pursuing a virus eradication strategy - something achieved literally nowhere in the world. How diabolical is the combination of political spin and ceaseless nudging from the army of "public health" advisers? And how much longer can Victorians be expected to trust the very politicians and ‘health experts’ who have consistently lied and obfuscated? (2:01-22:16).

New IPA research shows a "K-Shaped recovery", with public sector employment trending upwards while the private sector slopes violently downwards. Are we really ‘all in this together’ or is the divide between the public and private sector more apparent than ever? (22:16-32:46).

Victoria Police arrested a heavily pregnant Zoe Lee Buhler for a Facebook post about a peaceful protest. With civil liberties, Parliament, and Cabinet Government all suspended; what does this brave new world of Castro-length speeches from the Premier, unchecked police surveillance and a cowed and frightened population look like? (32:46-41:55).

What can we expect of our media when the Dan Andrews drip feeds a compliant press gallery via daily press conferences, and keeping people scared seems part of the business model? (41:55-57:03). Culture Picks this week include TV series, Schitts Creek, by Dan Levy and Eugene Levy, Righteous Gemstones, by Danny McBride and Raised by Wolves, by Aaron Guzikowski (57:03-1:05:13).

Show notes:

Victorians struggling to cope with lockdown have been told to make their bed in the morning; 7 News,

https://www.facebook.com/363623854300/posts/10159153769824301/?vh=e

A Public Choice Warning About Media; Peter Boettke

https://www.aier.org/article/a-public-choice-warning-about-media/

Daniel Andrews hits his 50th straight coronavirus update today — is it time he took a break?; Patrick Wood

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-21/daniel-andrews-hits-50-daily-coronavirus-updates-for-victoria/12565048

Culture picks:

Netflix TV series by Dan Levy and Eugene Levy, Schitts Creek

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3526078/

TV series by Danny McBride, Righteous Gemstones 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8634332/

TV series by Aaron Guzikowski, Raised by Wolves

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9170108/

The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has announced new legislation to ensure agreement the States, councils and universities have with foreign governments are consistent with Australian foreign policy. What does this mean for the relations with China and are there any risks with giving the Federal Government further powers? (2:05-15:48). What are the risks with the Victorian Government’s Belt and Road agreement as it relates to expensive plans for infrastructure projects that Victoria doesn't want or need? (15:48-27:33). The Democratic and Republican conventions took place in the US with their speeches demonstrating vastly different views of the USA. What does Trump’s post-convention poll bounce and focus on burning cities mean for the November election? (27:35-50:23). Culture picks for this week include Christopher Caldwell’s Age of Entitlement, Leder Games’ new boardgame, Root and Federico Fellini’s 1960 film, La Dolce Vita (51:18-1:04:52).

Show notes:

Scott Morrison vows to cancel state-foreign agreements if viewed to be against national interest; Brett Worthington and Stephen Dziedzic

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-27/scott-morrison-china-belt-and-road-cancel-state-agreements/12596184

Ensuring a Consistent Australian Foreign Policy; Prime Minister Scott Morrison

https://www.pm.gov.au/media/ensuring-consistent-australian-foreign-policy

Poll – Victorians Oppose Belt & Road Scheme

https://ipa.org.au/publications-ipa/poll-victorians-oppose-belt-road-scheme

Tunnel Vision: Scott Hargreaves and Daniel Wild

https://ipa.org.au/ipa-review-articles/tunnel-vision

Culture picks:

Age of entitlement, Christopher caldwell

https://www.amazon.com.au/Age-Entitlement-America-Since-Sixties/dp/1501106899

New type of boardgame - Root

https://ledergames.com/products/root-a-game-of-woodland-might-and-right

1960 film, La Dolce Vita, directed by Federico Fellini

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053779/

After six months of COVID19 in Australia the panel discusses whether it’s time to say this is the new normal, and that we can neither wait for a vaccine nor indefinitely extend emergency powers.

Show Notes:  

COVID19 and the Path to Pragmatic Acceptance; Scott Hargreaves

https://ipa.org.au/ipa-today/17130

Revolt over Daniel Andrews’ coronavirus power grab: Rebecca Urban, Damon Johnston and Nicola Berkovic

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/revolt-over-daniel-andrews-power-grab/news-story/88673d2c726d75477bf2cbbdb95d7f8a

State of Emergency Must Be Extended But It’s No Blank Cheque For Andrews: Derryn Hinch

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/state-of-emergency-must-be-extended-but-it-s-no-blank-cheque-for-andrews-20200825-p55p6v.html

Victorians cannot keep sacrificing liberties without a safety net

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/victorians-cannot-keep-sacrificing-liberties-without-a-safety-net-20200825-p55p7i.html

Culture Picks:

the new Microsoft Flight Simulator

https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/p/microsoft-flight-simulator-standard-preorder/9nxn8gf8n9ht

Lockdowns, Vaccines and Debt (Conversations with John Anderson), with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya of Stanford University.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtnYSEGViOnb7k8ezUaWUww

The Mandibles by Lionel Shriver

https://www.amazon.com.au/Mandibles-Family-2029-2047-Lionel-Shriver-ebook/dp/B0152XGO18/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Mandibles&qid=1598424125&sr=8-1&tag=

On this special episode of the IPA’s Looking Forward, co-host Chris Berg interviews Russ Roberts from the Hoover Institution, known to most as the long-standing host of Econtalk, and also Professor Mike Munger from Duke University, who is well known as a libertarian economist and political candidate.

Is the Pandemic just the perfect example of Hayek’s Knowledge Problem, that knowledge is dispersed and no “expert” can be across it? And how do politicians, epidemiologists and economists approach the problem of decision making under uncertainty – and do epidemiologists know as much as they say?

As the Pandemic both creates and exposes ridiculous nanny state regulations preventing us living our lives and making a living, is this the Golden Age of Libertarian Scepticism?

Does the Pandemic change the way you communicate the ideas of Liberty? How does a libertarian approach the wearing of masks, where voluntary or mandated?

What are wider lesson of liberty? When power is centralised what is the vision of human flourishing based on freedom and personal responsibility? How is this an optimistic vision of civil society, of voluntarism, of the role of markets and people in building trust and a better society?

And how did Mike Munger go when he ran for Governor of North Carolina on the Libertarian Party ticket, telling voters “what can you do for me?” was the wrong question?

Econtalk; Russ Roberts

https://www.econtalk.org/

How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness; Russ Roberts

https://www.amazon.com.au/Adam-Smith-Change-Your-Life-ebook/dp/B00INIXQA2?tag=

Tomorrow 3.0: Transaction Costs and the Sharing Economy; Mike Munger

https://www.amazon.com/Tomorrow-3-0-Transaction-Cambridge-Economics/dp/1108447341?tag=

The Knowledge Problem: We must stand humble before complexity and order without planning; Hayek

Frideman8

Joe Biden has decided Kamala Harris is to be his pick as vice president based on the fact she is an African-American woman. Should identity politics have a place in the presidential campaign, or should people of power be chosen rather on merit? (3:27-25:20). Dan Tehan has announced a review into Robert French’s freedom of speech on campus model. Should we be concerned about the issue of free speech rights on Australian campuses and should we be pushing further for a more in-depth review of this issue? (25:38-47:19). JK Rowling has been long under pressure to give in to the woke left whose failure to deal with the lessons of the Harry Potter Books and has subsequently faced the wrath of cancel culture. Does Harry Potter belong in the ‘woke left basket’ and are identity politics being taken too far by the cancel culture mob? (47:20-1:00:35). This week’s culture picks include Netflix’ series The Umbrella Academy, 2008 Australian movie Lake Mungo and 2019 film The Lighthouse (1:00:40-1:14:07)

Show Notes:

How Kamala Harris or Tammy Duckworth as VP could impact the Asian American and Pacific Islander vote: Deepa Shivaram

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/two-women-biden-s-vp-list-have-little-known-advantage-n1236073

Biden picks Kamala Harris as VP nominee: Christopher Cadelago and Caitlin Oprysko

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/11/joe-biden-vp-pick-kamala-harris-393768

Kamala Harris Got So High Smoking Weed in College She Thought She Was Listening To Snoop Dogg and Tupac: Nick Gillespie

https://reason.com/2019/02/12/kamala-harris-got-so-high-smoking-weed-i/

The Real Reason Cancel Culture is Rejecting “Harry Potter”: Renee Gorman

https://areomagazine.com/2020/08/07/the-real-reason-cancel-culture-is-rejecting-harry-potter/

Culture Picks:

The Lighthouse (2019)

the 2008 Australian film Lake Mungo.

the Umbrella Academy on Netflix

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Umbrella_Academy_(TV_series)

Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews is seemingly delighted to have brought Victoria to an unprecedented standstill as he pursues eradication of the runaway coronavirus. But what will be the economic costs and how confident can we be that it will actually work, especially as second, third and fourth waves are reported across the globe? Where is accountability for past and present maladministration, when the Andrews Government seeks to shut down or obfuscate Parliament at every opportunity? (2:55-34:39) Donald Trump has announced that TikTok will be banned in the United States raising national security concerns. Are concerns valid or is the ban simply an attack on freedom of speech and/or a chance to extort the owners for Microsoft’s benefit? (34:39-46:30) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Cian Hussey to answer these questions and share their culture picks. This week’s picks include Camila Russo’s The Infinite Machine, the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On the Basis of Sex and Yuval Levin’s A Time to Build. (46:30-1:04:43)

Show Notes

Madness in Melbourne; Jeffrey A. Tucker

https://www.aier.org/article/madness-in-melbourne/

If New Zealand’s the coronavirus role model then we’re in strife; Adam Creighton

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/if-new-zealands-the-coronavirus-role-model-then-were-in-strife/news-story/0dd4f1b0fbd5b1fcb9e969f5bc626da9

Coronavirus: Victoria stopped using the COVID app before virus spike; Olivia Caisley

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/victoria-stopped-app-use-before-spike/news-story/31a3928d308b9d96dae199b2922ab92d

The Coronavirus Is Never Going Away; The Atlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/08/coronavirus-will-never-go-away/614860/?fbclid=IwAR027V4IY-Eysv5rl8kjLd1HTX_agvA9DOhQJyZurk5_PSHA3KHXztzP0nU

Trump Wants U.S. Government To Get ‘A Lot Of Money’ For Allowing Microsoft-TikTok Deal; Forbes

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2020/08/03/trump-wants-us-government-to-get-a-lot-of-money-for-allowing-microsoft-tiktok-deal/

Culture Picks

A Time to Build; Yuval Levin

https://www.amazon.com.au/Time-Build-Community-Recommitting-Institutions/dp/1541699270

The Infinite Machine; Camila Russo

https://www.amazon.com.au/Infinite-Machine-Crypto-hackers-Building-Internet-ebook/dp/B07X8HS2WC

On the Basis of Sex; Mimi Leder

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4669788/